Soccer: CAS overturns FIFA ban on Former Thai football boss Worawi

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FILE PHOTO: Former Football Association of Thailand (FAT) President Worawi Makudi at the association office in Bangkok on September 19, 2012. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom/Files Picture Supplied by Action Images/File Photo

(Reuters) - Former Thai football chief Worawi Makudi has had his ban from the sport overturned after his appeal was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday.

Worawi was initially banned for five years by FIFA in October 2016 following a suspended prison sentence from Southern Bangkok Criminal Court for altering documents ahead of the Thailand football association’s presidential election in 2013.

He was declared not guilty of forgery and falsification by an appeals court in his country in 2017.

However, FIFA’s appeal committee last year maintained there were infringements on their code of ethics and imposed a ban of 3-1/2 years from all football-related activities.

In an appeal against the decision, Worawi presented additional witnesses and new information to CAS which was not available to FIFA when they issued previous decisions.

“The breach of article 41 of the FIFA Code of Ethics was confirmed, but to a lesser degree than found by the FIFA instances,” CAS said in a statement.

“Accordingly, the CAS Panel found the appropriate sanctions to be a reprimand and a fine of CHF 5,000 ($4,979) and cancelled the ban from taking part in any football-related activity.”

Worawi, who was on the FIFA executive committee that voted to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar, had been an Asian Football Confederation representative on the committee for 18 years until he was voted off in 2015.